Fat guys, good news (or is it a bad news?), the 2005 US dietary guideline was just out (http://www.healthrus.gov). Your never-reached goal has been pushed to an even higher level. Go get depressed. Hey those Atkin dieters, go jump out of window right now. The new dietary guideline is not for you.

The new guideline indeed troubles me quite a lot. Not surprisingly, the new dietary guideline advocates more fruits and vegetables in our daily diet than the old ones did. It used to be “FIVE A DAY” (which was from National Cancer Institute campaign some years ago). Now it is “NINE A DAY” – “Four and one-half cups (nine servings) of fruits and vegetables are recommended daily for the reference 2,000-calorie level, with higher or lower amounts depending on the caloric level.”

Gosh, there must be some conspiracies between the US dietary advisory board and the grocery store association. I always see “FIVE A DAY” sign attached to the gorgeous and overpriced vegetables in my local grocery stores. Now I can foresee that there will be a big new sign “NINE A DAY” attached to every vegetable. I am thinking about opening a small grocery store at the corner of my health conscious community.

The new guideline also emphasizes an increase of whole grain intake. Hmm, I looked down the whole grain list trying to find my favorite grain—white rice. My God, there is no mention of white rice at all. I fully understand that white rice is highly processed, and lots of nutrients (especially vitamin Bs) are lost during the process. But it is still the main sources for nutrients and energy among most eastern Asian people. It seems to me that my little son’s hunch is right. White rice is not good for you; switch to something healthy, such as oatmeal or popcorn. The whole grain breads sometimes look gross to me, and they are tough to my stomach. Is that stuff we used to feed pigs in rural China?

Anatomically, a grain consists a bran (or fiber-rich outer layer), an endosperm (middle part), and a small part called germ (the nutrient-rich inner part). The claimed nutrients will be preserved if you use whole grain to make foods. It is interesting that after controlling for fiber, other vegetable intakes, and physical exercise, many studies showed that the whole grain intake was still significantly positive in predicting good health. Is there something magic in whole grains? Nutrition biochemistry is working on it frantically. However, I think it is still the fiber that does the magic, not the variety of nutrients. All those nutrients are readily available in meats and other vegetables which taste much better than whole grain breads. In addition, those who eat a lot of whole grains are health-conscious people. They will stay healthy no matter what.

It is of note that this new guideline explicitly talks about trans-fatty acids. Fried oils (even using vegetable oils) will produce trans-fatty acids. We Chinese always heat oil to a very high temperature (300F above) during cooking. Should I persuade my wife to add oil after foods are cooked? What a revolutionary idea!

The new guideline also warns people that in addition to take skim or reduced fat milk (a lot of milk, two or three cups a day) they should reduce fat products such as fat loaded cheese and yogurt. This is good. Sometimes it is disturbing to see those sophisticated chefs in the FoodNetwork keep on bragging about delicious cheeses. Fire them.

I also have some concerns about nuts and legumes. I saw an advertisement recently saying that eating peanuts are good for you. Well, it does add antioxidants to your body, thus protecting you by reducing oxidative stress. What about extra-energy you are taking?

Anyway, I have no trouble eating vegetables because most Chinese cuisine is largely vegetable based. I am disappointed that the new dietary guideline doesn’t give specific instructions on how we should cook these foods. It seems to me that they are advocating eating these vegetables in raw form. I just can’t bear it. Eating raw foods is so uncivilized.

It is true that many people can somewhat change their diet. However, there is one big challenge that fat people fear most and find hopelessly unattainable. Physical activity is up to a higher standard than before—workout for 60-90 minutes DAILY. Please note that the new guideline increases not only the duration of exercise (from at least half an hour to more than an hour) but also the frequency (from three times a week to most days). The usual 30 minutes plan is only suitable for preventing chronic disease (translation, sick prone people, elderly). “For most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or longer duration”. Think about this, 65% American population will have to spare one hour per day jogging, biking, and all sorts of weird activities. It is really a big project for American.

Needless to say, physical activity can improve your cardiopulmonary fitness and immune system. Here is one small tip for you. When you feel mindless, stressful, or even angry, you just go out and run around your house, sweating, panting, being completely exhausted, and then you will feel great.

Unfortunately, in one survey, one fourth of American population reported that they didn’t do any physical activity at all during last month before survey. This excludes me because I just did a vigorous physical activity the day before yesterday, but it is the only one during last month. I don’t know how I can make a plan for a 60 min daily exercise, let alone implement it. To be honest, I never had a plan to do a 30 min daily exercise. I am dismayed and desperately watching my tummy growing bigger and bigger.

Obesity is pandemic. But I am not going to worry about it. As a matter of fact, most overweight people live just as happily as the thinners do. People are also living longer and healthier than before. And remember, about 65% Americans are overweight or obese. I feel comfortable hanging around with fat people because comparing with them, my tummy is barely noticeable. Maybe one day a little fat will be considered attractive. Who knows?

Want to evaluate yourself? Here is the way to compute your body mass index (BMI): weight(kg)/height2(meter), less than 25, you are in good shape; 25-29, overweight; 30-34, obese; 35+, severe obese; 40+ morbid obese. However, if your BMI is less than 18.5, please take this caution: you are at the same risk as those obese people. Please eat more.

Please also consider another obesity measurement the dietary guideline left out: the waist circumference. Waist is more important than BMI in terms health risk. How big is your waist? For men, 102+ cm is considered central obesity, and for women, 88+ cm.